Fastening and detecting means for valves and the like



June 22, 1937. F, O, PAlGE, JR 2,084,963

FASTENING AND DETECTING MEANS FOR VALVES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 15, 1935 Patented June 22, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FASTENING AND DETECTING MEANS FOR.

VALVES AND rITHE LIKE Fred 0. Paige, Jr., Hammond, Ind., assignor to Kitson Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of West Virginia Application August 15, V1935, Serial No. 36,301

4 Claims.

f the following description at the end of which the invention will be claimed.

VGfenerally stated the invention comprises two elements a-dapted to be inseparably held in respect to each other, except by the fracture of one 15 of them, and of which one is provided with an internally enlarged socket having a through opening and is the element usually fractured, a screw mounted in the other element and having an expansible head adapted to enter said socket, and a 20 swage arranged in the socket in operative relation to the head and having a shank accessible through said opening.

The invention also comprises the improvements to be presently described and finally claimed.

T In the following descriptionreference will be lmade to the accompanying drawing forming part hereof and in which,

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of the upper part of a curb box and its cover and em- ,30 bodying features of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the under side of the cover. Y

Figure 3 is a perspective view drawn to an enlarged scale of one of the parts shown in Figure l.

Figure 4 is an end view partly in section of a i valve embodying features of the invention.

Figure 5 is atop or plan view of the valve shown in Figure 4 with the upper parts removed.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the under side of the cover shown in Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a view illustrating a-modilcation of the invention in which the same is applied by means of a cover and yoke.

Figure 8 is a sectional View illustrating a modification, and

Figure 9 is a top or plan view of an element shown in Fig. 8.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1, 2,

and 3, l indicates the upper portion of a curb box, and 2 indicates its cover and these constitute two elements which are to be inseparably held in respect to each other, except by the fracture of one o-f them. By way of explanation it may be 55 said that a curb box at its lower end houses a valve interposed in the connection that leads from the main in the street to the interior of a dwelling or the like. A curb box affords means, when its cover is removed, for the insertion of a key by means of which the valve or a part thereof is engaged to open the valve and supply a customer, and to close the valve and cut oi the supply, when the customer is in arrears in payment, or

-at any time. By way of further explanation dishonest customers have I'illed the curb box with cementA and have replaced the cover after having tampered with the valve, leaving the supply open. In such cases the utility company supplying the product, which may be gas, water, steam, oil,

.gasoline or other fluid, has no means of discovering Whether the product is being stolen and Ycannot turn the valve Without digging up the curb box. Again if the meter is removed, the supply must be shut oi at the curb, otherwise a supply can be obtained or stolen by connectingfA the meter inlet and outlet pipes. In accordance ,with the present invention, and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the curb box l is internally provided with a lug projection or other suitable .means 3 for receiving the screw 4. The screw 4:'.

has an expansible head 5. When the cover 2 is in place the head 5 of the screw enters the internally enlarged socket 6 with which the cover is provided. 'I is a swage block arranged in the hollow head of the screw 5 and having a shank I2 projecting above the cover. When a representative of the company knows that the valve at the bottom of the curb box is in off or on position as may be desired he applies the cover with the parts in the positionindicated in Figure 1 and then drives the swage downward by means of its shank. The result of this is that the expansible head of the screw is expanded in the internal enlargement of the socket of the cover,l

and the cover and the curb box are inseparably connected. The head of the screw is shown as expanded in Figure '7. The only way that the cover can be removed is by breaking it. For this purpose it is shown as weakened by grooving or notching, as indicated at 8, and by reenforcing it as indicated at I9. However, this is not nece essary in all cases and in detail it can be modiied. If the customer breaks the cover or tampers with it that fact is evident to an inspector. If the representative of the company breaks the cover so as to obtain access to the valve at the bottom of the box he replaces the broken cover with a new one and for that purpose removes the screw 4 and supplies a new one.

Sometimes curb boxes are corrugated or simi- 2 larly formed. In such cases referring to Figs. 8 and 9 if the lug 3 is broken or even if the top of the curb box is broken off, a lug 3a can be supplied by clamping an expansible ring a, provided with a lug 3au inside of the damaged box as indicated Fig. 8. As shown the ring is in segments hinged together and is expanded by a reversely threaded bolt b, but of cou'rse that construction is merely typical.

The construction and operation of the modiii-- cation shown in Figures 4 to 6 are as above described except as follows:V The invention Vis applied to a valve device arranged, for example, in

the inside of a building. The` casing of the valve is provided with a lug 3a which receives the screw. 4 and use is made of a cover I0 notched to receive sible head adapted Yto enter the enlargement of the key Ii of the valve plug in either open or closed position. The cover Il) isprovided with the'internally enlarged socket la and it contains the swage 'la havingthe shank |22. The cover is secured to the valve casingso as to lockthe plug in the'propervposition and the cover can only be removed by breakingit. 1..

The construction and mode of operation of the modification shown in Figure 7 are as above described except that one of the elements to be connected is a yoke vl 3 adapted to encircle a valve I4. The screws d with expansible heads are mounted in the ends of the yoke and the cover I'is provided with theY internally contracted sockets which receive the expansible heads ofthe screws.

The swages 'lb have screw threadedshanks I2b which have threadedl engagements with holes in the cover. The coveris provided with cruciform notches for the reception ofthe key of the plug of the valve. In assembling the device use may be made of a clamping or other means for holding the yoke up to the valvelcas'ing. It may be remarked that swage blocks with `screwfthreaded Shanks may be used in the construction shown in Fig. 1 and that coversroverlapping the topof the box as shown in Fig- 4 may be employed in the construction of Fig. l. If desired the covers may be serially numbered in orderto provide means for protecting against, or-for discovering, fraudulent substitution. l

Referring to the device generally the swage is beveled in respect to the expansible portion of the screw head. As shown! the swage is conical in form. The swage is shown as provided with a shank accessible from the outside of the cover but the swage may be arranged inside of the cover and operated by a blow struck uponthe outside of the cover, instead of upon the shank-of the swage.

The head of the screw is shown as countersunk providing a readily expansible wall through which the notch for a screw driver extends.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention is applicable in a variety of Ways to a variety of uses, and that modications may be made in details of constructionand arrangement without departing from its spirit otherwise than\ as the prior art and the appended claims may i require.

I claim:

l. In combination two elementsV adapted to be inseparably held together except by the fracture of one of them, an internally enlarged socket provided in one of said elements, a screw mounted in the other of said elements and having an expanthe socket and a swage arranged for movement in the socket, in operative relation to the head and adapted when operated through one of the elements to expand the head.

' 2. In combination a curb box having. a lug, a

curb 'box cover having an internally enlarged socket, a screw mounted in the lug and having an expansible head arranged in the enlargement of, the socket, and a swage arranged in the socket and having a stem projecting through the cover. 3. In combination two elementsv adapted to be inseparably held in contact except by the fracture of one of them and of which one is provided with# an internally enlarged socket having a through opening, a screw mounted in the other element and having a countersunk expansible head adapted to enter said socket and a conical swage arranged in the socket in operative relation to the- 13 head and having a shank projecting throughV said opening.

Il. Fastening means for a valve having a valve Y'casing andan operating device projecting therefrom, said fastening means comprising two ele- .ments which, when connected together, surround said operating device, an internally enlarged socket provided in one of said elements, the other of said elementshaving a screw-threaded cavity therein, a screw mounted in said cavity and having an expansible head located in said socket, and a swage arranged in said socket and in operative relationto said expansible head and having a portion projecting from said socket so that said swage can be operated from the exteriorrof said with said socket.

. FRED O. PAIGE, JR.

. elements to expand said head into engagement 

